Caneton aux Olives

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •5 to 6 quart heavy cocotte with a tight-fitting lid
• •Long kitchen tongs and a sturdy wooden spoon
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Broiler-safe rimmed tray fitted with a rack
• •Warm oval serving platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the olives

   Put the stoned olives through Blanchings (No. 273) exactly as that preparation directs, then drain them thoroughly and hold them aside. This removes enough brine and bitterness for the olives to season the finished sauce without overwhelming it. It is preparation, not their final cooking.

   Taste one olive after draining. It should remain distinctly olive-like but no longer flood the mouth with salt. The sauce will reduce, so restraint now matters.
2. 2

   Season the duck

   Heat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Dry the duck thoroughly inside and out, especially around the legs and under the wings. Season the cavity and skin with 1½ teaspoons of the salt and all the pepper, tuck the wing tips underneath, and tie the legs loosely together. Dry skin browns; damp skin stews before the braise has even begun.

3. 3

   Brown every surface

   Melt the butter in a snug 5 to 6 quart cocotte over medium heat. When the foam subsides, lay in the duck and brown it patiently on the breast, back, and both sides, turning with tongs and supporting it with a wooden spoon. Allow 12 to 15 minutes. The skin should be a deep Maillard bronze, not merely beige. If the butter blackens before the duck colors, lift out the bird, pour away the burnt fat, wipe out only the loose black specks, and continue with a spoonful of the duck fat already rendered. The brown film stays; the bitter black one goes.

4. 4

   Braise at a tremble

   Lift the browned duck to a plate and spoon off all but about 1 tablespoon of fat, leaving the fond attached to the cocotte. Pour in 1½ cups (355 ml / 355 g) of the hot stock and scrape until every brown deposit dissolves. Return the duck breast-side up. The stock should form a shallow pool around it, not cover it. Bring just to a simmer, cover, and braise in the oven for 45 minutes. Baste the breast, uncover, and continue for 10 to 20 minutes, until the thickest part of the thigh reaches at least 165°F (74°C) and the joint yields when gently moved. If the liquid boils hard, lower the oven by 25°F (15°C); a braise should tremble, because violent boiling tightens the meat and muddies the sauce with fat.

5. 5

   Reduce the sauce

   Move the duck to a rack set over a broiler-safe tray and rest it loosely covered for 15 minutes. Skim the cocotte carefully until no broad slicks of duck fat remain. Set it over medium-high heat and reduce the liquid for 8 to 12 minutes, until about ¾ cup (180 ml / 180 g) remains and the sauce is nappant, coating the back of a spoon in a glossy layer. If it tightens too far, loosen it with the reserved stock, one spoonful at a time. If it remains watery, keep reducing. Flour would make gravy; reduction makes this sauce.

6. 6

   Warm olives briefly

   Lower the heat to a bare simmer and add the drained olives. Warm them for 4 to 5 minutes, no longer, then taste the sauce and add the remaining salt only if it needs it. If the olives still push the sauce toward excessive salinity, lift them out, loosen the sauce with reserved unsalted stock, and serve a little more of it rather than reducing it back down. Ça se rattrape. Return the olives once the balance is restored.

7. 7

   Glaze and serve

   Heat the broiler to high. Brush the rested duck generously with the reduced sauce, keeping the olives in the cocotte, and set the bird about 6 inches (15 cm) below the heat for 1 to 3 minutes. Watch without leaving the oven: the skin should deepen and shine like lacquer, not scorch. Transfer the duck to a warm oval platter, arrange the olives around it, and spoon over enough sauce to glaze the bird and pool beneath it. Bring the remaining sauce separately if there is any. Carve at the table. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose a young Pekin-type duck around 4 to 4½ lb (1.8 to 2 kg). A larger or older bird carries more fat and tougher legs, and its timing no longer matches the compact braise this entry requires.
• •Use firm, unstuffed green olives such as Picholine. Soft canned olives collapse in the sauce, while aggressively brined cocktail olives leave little behind except salt. Keep the source proportion intact: ½ lb (225 g) for one duck.
• •The stock is the home kitchen's answer to the brigade stockpot. It should be unsalted and have enough natural gelatin to turn glossy when reduced. If boxed stock tastes thin, reduce 3 cups (710 ml / 710 g) to the required 2 cups (475 ml / 475 g) before beginning.
• •Save the rendered duck fat. Strain it, chill it, and use it for potatoes beside the duck. We don't apologize for butter, and we certainly don't discard good duck fat.
• •Serve with pommes purée or plainly sautéed potatoes, something willing to catch the short sauce. A restrained Côtes du Rhône red has enough fruit for the duck and enough freshness for the olives.

Advance Preparation

• •The olives can be stoned and prepared by Blanchings (No. 273) one day ahead. Drain, dry, cover, and refrigerate them, then bring them out while the duck braises.
• •The duck can be trimmed, dried, and tied earlier the same day. Keep it uncovered in the refrigerator so the skin stays dry, then season it immediately before browning.
• •For the finest skin and most succulent breast, braise, reduce, glaze, and serve in one sequence. If timing slips, hold the rested duck for up to 20 minutes and keep the sauce barely warm; add the olives and glaze only when the table is ready.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 330g)